West Hartford-based Ballet Theatre Company is offering teachers an opportunity to bring their students ‘Behind the Curtain’ of the production of ‘Aladdin.’

Courtesy of Ballet Theatre Company

Submitted

This spring, Ballet Theatre Company (BTC) is offering teachers and educators its “Behind the Curtain” program featuring its full length ballet “Aladdin.” This program will expose students to the joys of ballet and theater and allow them to explore the realm of possibilities in performing arts – bringing some magic and fun into classrooms this year, and helping encourage the creative minds of the future.

BTC’s four-part Behind the Curtain program featuring “Aladdin” includes access to a live stream performance in addition to supplementary materials to further integrate the arts into the classroom. For just $50 per classroom, teachers will gain access to the live stream performance, as well as a package of prepared materials including the “Aladdin” Digital Storybook, grade level Performing Arts Activity Workbooks, and grade level Academic Activity Workbooks that complement the ballet.

Courtesy of Ballet Theatre Company

BTC’s Live Stream Performance will air April 22 at 10 a.m. for classrooms to experience Act I of the ballet. Students will follow Aladdin from the dynamic marketplace of his hometown as he sets off on an entrancing trip to the Cave of Riches, filled with dancing diamonds, rubies, sapphires, and more. On his return home, Aladdin catches a glimpse of the Princess that sparks a tumultuous journey filled with twists and turns. The “Aladdin” live stream performance is a wonderful pairing with BTC’s prepared classroom materials and a great way to integrate the arts into spring lesson plans.

BTC’s Outreach Administrator has developed the prepared materials for Behind the Curtain with the guidance of a third-fourth grade teacher in the Massachusetts Public School System and another professional with an MFA in Education, Theater, and History. The Activity Workbooks not only introduce children to the many elements behind staging a dance performance, but they also incorporate the practice of essential school skills in a unique and engaging manner!

In BTC’s Digital Storybook, students will join Aladdin and the Princess on their fascinating adventure as they flip through pages of original artwork by BTC student, Sofia Brummitt. Once students have explored the adventurous plot of the ballet, the Performing Arts Activity Workbook, featuring over 30 pages of worksheets and guided class discussions, can be introduced into the classroom. The Performing Arts Activity Workbook will inspire creativity, problem-solving, and self-expression as students gain a deeper understanding of the many layers needed to stage a full length production.

The “Aladdin” Academic Activity Workbook integrates the magic of the performance into worksheets that practice essential academic skills and challenge students to think critically in relation to an exciting story. Use context clues to decipher the meaning of challenging words and phrases, dive into geometry with the dancing jewels in the production, contemplate how settings and habitats impact the storyline of “Aladdin,” and so much more throughout the pages of these workbooks.

Both sets of activity workbooks are broken down by grade level to best serve the students in each classroom. These materials are designed for grades K-5.

Performing arts offer exciting experiences for school children and inspire the next generation of creative minds to dream, set goals, express themselves, work well with others, and so much more! To reserve a spot for the live stream and learn more information about the Behind the Curtain program, head over to the BTC website. Any additional questions can be directed to BTC’s Outreach Administrator, Kyleigh Olivier at [email protected].

BTC is a 501 (c)(3) not-for-profit organization and is supported in part by Connecticut Office of the Arts, Greater Hartford Arts Council, Ron and Nancy Compton, The Edward C. & Ann T. Roberts Foundation, Ahearn Family Foundation, Ensworth Charitable Trust, The Long Foundation, The Buchalter-Breslow Family, Connecticut Public, Cricket Press, Laurel Graphic Design, We-Ha.com, Beam & Barre, and Hearst Media Group, Imperial Design & Upholstering, Jane Owen Public Relations, and Virtus Investments.

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